Dana Gillespie has been singing professionally since 1965 when she made her first record, and she just recorded her 73rd album. ‘Live’ at the Temple of Art and Music, with her musicians The London Blues Band. Apart from being the original Mary Magdalene in the London production of Jesus Christ Superstar in 1972, she has performed in quite a few musicals and films, and in 1972 David Bowie wrote a song for her called ‘Andy Warhol’ and he sings on her version of it, but she also sang on the Ziggy Stardust album. She played at the famous SXSW festival this Spring with her band and has just finished making an album with Marc Almond, which will make it her 74th album!

Roseanne Reid's long-awaited second album 'Lawside' out 2nd June, overflows with mature and confident song craft and delivery, from the infectious, horn-laden opening single 'Call It Love' to beautiful, tender pieces such as 'All I Need,' 'Shine On' and 'Made Just For You.' It's a worthy follow-up to her gorgeous first album 'Trails.' We're so happy to welcome Roseanne to Folk In The Park after she tours the UK in June with one of her great admirers, Steve Earle. 

Hannah Scott performs contemporary folk music and is building a loyal following thanks to her distinctive voice, powerful melodies and thought-provoking lyrics which leave a lasting impression on her audiences. She draws much of the inspiration for her music from her affinity with Italy. A year living and working on an olive press in rural Tuscany in her late teens provided the backdrop to her early work, and the draw of the country and its influence have not faded with time.

Following her well-received 2021 album “Drawn To Darkness”, Hannah has released “Ancient Lights”, an EP which is, as the title suggests, a collection of older songs she felt deserved to be dusted down and played to an audience once more. Two close family bereavements in the space of a year, as well as the period of quiet that the pandemic brought, set Hannah on a path of reflection as she rediscovered some of her oldest material. Ancient Lights takes its name from the house she grew up in, a Tudor building in Suffolk, named by her father because of its leaded light windows. These take centre stage in the artwork created by her mother. Hannah had the idea to name a record after the family home in her early twenties but she knew she’d have to wait until she was older to have some old songs to record so the title would make sense! 

The EP is not only about looking back, however. The record also marks a step forward in Hannah’s career as an artist: these are the first songs she has in part engineered herself, recording her piano, guitar and vocal parts at home during the summer of 2022. Her long-standing collaborator Stefano Della Casa has subsequently added his cello parts and his own creative touch during the mixing process. Together they have brought these songs and the earliest part of Hannah’s musical story back to life.

Recent highlights for Hannah include being selected to participate in the highly competitive Artist Mentoring Programme run by English Folk Expo and opening for folk superstar Seth Lakeman. On taking the stage, the first thing he did was thank Hannah for her performance and her “wonderful songwriting”. She has also been awarded FATEA Magazine’s Female Artist of the Year 2022. 

Her music has been heard in the hit TV series, Grey’s Anatomy, and has been played regularly on the BBC with releases supported by Dermot O’Leary and Bob Harris on BBC Radio 2 and Tom Robinson on 6 Music. She’s also been featured by MOJO, The Guardian and Clash Magazine. Her arresting live performances have earned her support slots for artists including Madeleine Peyroux, 10cc and Paddy Casey and she has twice travelled to New York festival Mondo NYC.

The passionate co-founder of The Sound Lounge as well as the artist the Evening Standard calls “an activist”, Hannah White is politically-inclined, an active humanitarian and an advocate for independent musicians and writers all over the UK; But most of all she is the “arresting and wholly believable” (Acoustic Magazine) singer-songwriter that captures the hearts of her audiences nationwide gaining her acclaim from BBC Radio 2, BBC 6 Music, Blues Matters, Maverick Magazine and many more. Recently joining forces with Norwegian super group, The Connections, she released an album to international and critical acclaim and was nominated for an Americana Music Association Album of the Year 2020 award.
 

There’s a purity about IAIN MATTHEWS’ voice. And it’s mirrored by the integrity of his career.
 The singer-songwriter has never been seduced by fame. His focus has always been on creating music that captivates the ear, the mind and the heart.

Born Ian Matthews McDonald, June 16, 1946, in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England, he soared to prominence in 1967, as a founding member of Fairport Convention. In that pioneering band, Matthews created exquisite harmonies with first Judy Dyble, then Sandy Denny. 
After two years, he left and formed Matthews Southern Comfort. They enjoyed a huge hit with their stirring version of Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock.” 
One of the outstanding solo albums Matthews recorded during his years in Los Angeles was 1973’s “Valley Hi,” produced by Michael Nesmith.
Matthews has fronted such bands as Plainsong, Hi-Fi, No Grey Faith, More Than a Song and a Dutch jazz combo, The Searing Quartet.

After working for a while in A&R, in 1987 Matthews returned to performing and recording as a solo artist. Since returning to live in Europe in 2000, Matthews focuses mostly again on his now all Dutch ensemble, Matthews Southern Comfort and his seemingly never ending stream of solo recordings. Matthews latest album, released in 2021 and titled “ Distant Chatter” is a duo effort, with Dutch songwriter and multi instrumentalist B J Baartmans.